


Everything I Know

by liairene



Series: A Visitor's Guide to Highbury [1]
Category: Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Modern Era, Small Towns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-02-22 22:43:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23868226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liairene/pseuds/liairene
Summary: In September of 2010, Will Darcy arrives in Highbury, Michigan in search of a fresh start, but what he finds is not what he expected.
Relationships: Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy
Series: A Visitor's Guide to Highbury [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/908481
Kudos: 40





	Everything I Know

Despite appearances, Will Darcy had moved to Highbury, Michigan voluntarily. However, when he first encountered Elspeth Bennet, he would have had a hard time convincing her of that. William had paid his good friend, George Knightley, and Highbury a few brief visits previously, but he’d never really devoted much time to exploring the town or getting to know its inhabitants.

Will Darcy moved to Highbury on a Saturday and started his new job the following Monday. Will had moved there to get away from some personal difficulties and to work George alongside in his family’s accounting firm. His cousin, Ed Ferrars would be following him in a few weeks. On his first morning, he accompanied George to the local coffee shop to procure breakfast.

“I should warn you. It’s not JUST a coffee shop,” George explained as they walked down Bates Street towards the shop. “It’s a bookstore, a yarn store, and a café.”

“All in one place?”

“It’s a Highbury establishment. It’s been there for as long as I can remember.” George paused. “Well, the bookstore and café have been there for donkey’s years. The yarn store is a fairly recent but pretty popular addition.”

“Why’d it get added?” Will didn’t really care, but he felt like making conversation.

“Elsa wanted it. I think you’ll like Elsa; she’s good people.”

* * *

The two rounded the corner, and Will got his first proper look at the Knit Wit. It was a large brick building with big glass windows on the first floor and much smaller windows above. As they walked towards the large wood door, Will saw that the large front window was painted with a quote that was attributed to Tolstoy: “Everything I know, I know because of love.” The delicate white script lent the window an air of elegance. A bell above the door jingled as they entered the café. As most cafes are early in the morning, the Knit Wit was busy. There was a fair-haired teenaged boy sitting at a table near the door with a book and notebook in front of him; Will noticed that George quickly clapped the young man on the shoulder before making his way to the counter.

At the counter, they joined a line of five people. However, it moved quickly, and after George ordered a cup of tea and a breakfast sandwich, Will found himself face to face with a dark-haired young woman whose nametag read “Meg Ryan.”

She looked down at her register and then at Will. “I’m sorry. One moment please,” she said in a soft voice that quickly turned to a bellow. “James Martin Dashwood, get to school now! I’m not calling Mrs. Long to tell her that you’re late again.”

“Thanks, Elsa,” came from behind Will’s back.

“Just keep better track of time. I don’t want you to be late to school.”

“You’re the best mother ever.”

“Meg Ryan” shook her head slightly before smiling at Will. “I’m really sorry about that. How can I help you?”

“A medium coffee and a toasted whole wheat bagel,” he said quickly.

“Anything on that for you?” she asked while looking down at her register.

“Uh, what are my options?”

“Butter, cream cheese, or hummus,” she replied without looking up.

“Butter.”

“For here or to go?”

“I’m with George.” He didn’t actually know what George’s preference on the matter was.

“To go then,” she replied before looking up at him. “All right, that’ll be $4.37.”

“Do you take credit cards?”

“We do.” She nodded before tapping a paper sign on the front of her register. “Just so you know, we prefer not to use plastic for purchases under ten dollars, but I’ll make an exception for a friend of George’s.”

Will heard a snort from someone else behind the counter, but he couldn’t see the source. He handed over a credit card and finalized the transaction.

“Here’s your cup. Coffee is over there,” she said as she pointed towards several large coffee urns. “If you wait there, Charlotte will have your bagel for you any minute now.”

Will didn’t respond but simply hurried down to the end of the counter to fill his coffee cup and await his bagel. Once he had it, he rejoined George. “You like this place? It seems awfully quaint to me. I don’t see why it’s necessary when a Starbucks would do.”

* * *

“Dude,” George said after they left the café. “You were rude.”

“She stopped a transaction just to tell that high school kid to go to school,” Will replied blandly. “That’s not necessary. She works in a café; she’s not his mom. He’s a customer. She doesn’t have to keep track of that kid.”

That just elicited a sigh from George, a sigh that was usually reserved for George’s childhood friend, Emma Woodhouse. “We’ll talk when we’re inside.”

A minute later, they were inside the offices of Knightley Accounting and Investing. Will followed George to his office.

“Sit,” George said, pointing at a chair.

Will obeyed.

“That kid in the café?”

“Yeah.”

“His name is James Dashwood.”

“I heard. She yelled at him in front of God and everyone.”

George paused before repeating “He’s James DASHWOOD.”

“Dashwood?”

“James Dashwood?” George said. “His last name is Dashwood.”

“He’s Nora’s little brother? Little Jamie?”

George nodded. “That’s little Jamie who is not so little anymore.”

“Oh man…”

“Their parents’ house is insane as you can imagine. Mr. Dashwood is in the hospital right now, and Mrs. D is staying in Mansfield to be with him. Every morning, Nora brings him to the café before she heads to class. Elsa feeds him breakfast for free; I’m sure Nora repays her somewhere else.”

“That’s Nora if I know her.”

George nodded. “So Elsa feeds him breakfast, makes sure that he has a lunch for school, and makes sure that he gets out the door to make it to school on time. And on the days when he runs late, she calls the school office to let Mrs. Long know.”

“She does all of that for free?”

“As her accountant, I’ll need to find a way to write that off come tax season.”

“You’re her accountant?”

“Well, the firm handles her business, and I _was_ thinking about giving you her account.”

“You were?”

“I was. I thought you two might work well together, but after today, I’m not so sure.”

“You thought that she and I would work well together? Why?”

George shrugged. “I thought your personalities would mesh well.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“Don’t judge her based on one meeting, Will. Monday mornings are nuts for Elsa. She opens the café, gets James out the door, and then has to be in Mansfield by ten for class.”

“Class?”

“She’s working on her doctorate at the University of Mansfield. She should finish this year.”

“A doctorate? In what?”

“English literature.”

“She’s working on a doctorate and owns the café?”

George nodded. “She co-owns it with Annabelle Eliot.”

“Wow,” Will breathed. “I’m impressed.”

“Get to know her, Will. I think she’ll continue to amaze and impress you. I’ve known her since she was born, and she’s never stopped amazing me.”

* * *

The next morning, Will and George returned to the Knit Wit. The scene wasn’t much different than the day before; James Dashwood was seated near the door, and Elsa was behind the counter. As they entered, George clapped the high schooler on the shoulder. “Jamie, it’s seven-forty.”

The fair-haired head popped up. “Already? I need to run. Thanks, George.”

George smiled. “Not a problem, I’m just trying to save you from Elsa’s bellowing.”

“The bellowing isn’t the problem. It’s the guilt trips later on that I hate.”

“She sees you as a little brother, Jamie.”

“Blergh.”

“Elsa’s favorite word,” George replied.

“Second favorite,” James retorted. “You know Emma well enough to know what her favorite is.”

“Are Emma and Elsa close?” Will asked.

George shrugged. “I mean…I guess? They’ve known each other forever. And yeah, they’re pretty close. They hang out a lot. Either way, they’re both close to me. Jamie, this is my friend, Will Darcy. Will, this is Jamie Dashwood.”

“Nice to meet you,” Will said with an outstretched hand. “I knew your sister in college.”

“Nora?”

“Nora.”

The teenager smiled. “She’s great.”

“She is,” George remarked. “Now, get out of here. Go learn something.”

* * *

“Elsinore,” George pronounced when he reached the counter.

“I’m not Elsinore; I’m just Elsa. I need Nora to be Elsinore.”

“Whatever.”

“No, not whatever,” she replied as she rolled her eyes. “Get it right.”

Will looked at George. “Do you want breakfast or can I order?”

“I’m bickering here, William.”

“Will?” Elsa asked.

He reached out his hand. “I’m Will Darcy.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Elsa Bennet. Now, what can I get for you?”

“A whole wheat bagel toasted with butter and a large coffee,” he replied as he retrieved his wallet from his pocket. “And this time I have cash.”

She grinned. “You’re learning.”

He smiled. “I’m a quick learner. I just have to know the rules.”

“You’ll find we have many odd rules in Highbury.”

“Most of which you made up,” George inserted.

“Oh, I did?”

“Yeah, let’s start with that stupid Elsinore rule.”

She rolled her eyes again. “It was Emma’s high school nickname for Elsa and Nora together.”

“A regular occurrence from what I heard,” George retorted. He’d been in college by the time Elsa, Emma, and Nora were in high school.

“Will, don’t you think that you and this charming fellow ought to go to work?”

He smiled at her. “We’ll just get our breakfast and get going.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she said with a warm smile. “I’ll see you around.”

* * *

As they walked to the office, Will asked, “George, do you plan to ever learn to make your own breakfast?”

“And put Elsa out of business? What would she do if I didn’t eat here almost every day of the year?”

“I haven’t looked the account over. I don’t know how much income you provide her with.”

George snorted. “Don’t worry. I’m sure that she’ll let you know. Elsa loves to complain about me to any and all comers.” He paused to open the door to the office. “She’s a bit like the little sister I never wanted.”

“I thought that was Emma.”

“Maybe it’s both of them.” He took a bite of his bagel before setting it on his desk. “A man can have more than one sister.”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

“What are you? My mother?”

Will took a long sip of coffee before answering. “Dude, look at me. Do I look like your mother?”

“Nah, you’re too tall, and your hair is all wrong for it.”

“Thank goodness. I’m too young to be your mother. It’s generally best if you are older than your children.”

George rolled his eyes. “You’re so helpful.”

“Isn’t that why you brought me up here? To be helpful?”

“Not like that.”

“Too bad,” Will replied with a smile. “I’m here, and you’re just going to have to live with it.”

“And it’ll only get worse when Ed shows up in a few weeks.”

“You’re going to love it.”

* * *

That evening after work, Will went to Weston’s Grocery, a small grocery store located on the way to George’s house from the office. He wanted to get some groceries of his own so as to stop mooching off George’s goodwill. As he perused the world foods aisle, he saw Elsa Bennet walking towards him. Her dark brown curls hung loose around her shoulders, and she was dressed casually in blue jeans and a blue-green sweater. He smiled. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

“What does it look like?” she replied. “I’m casing it for a burglary I have planned for this evening.”

“Are you going to steal rotini or fettuccini?”

“I was actually thinking about the pesto and farfalle.”

“You like pesto?”

She smiled. “I love it. I grew up eating homemade pesto fresh from my mom’s garden.”

“And after that, you’re going to steal from the grocery store?”

That got a laugh. “No, I actually grow my own basil now. I have homemade pesto at home.”

“That sounds lovely, but where do you have a garden?”

“On the roof of my apartment actually.”

“Really? I thought that George said you lived above the Knit Wit?”

“I do.” Elsa put three boxes of pasta into her cart.

“And you have a garden up on that roof?”

“Yerp.”

He nodded as he looked at the variety of pastas available before taking a box of angel hair off the shelf. “I’d love to see that sometime.”

“Keep being nice to me, and I might let you.”

“I’ll do my best, but for now, I’ll let you get on with your shopping.”

“Will I see you tomorrow morning?” she asked.

“Do you want to?”

“Are you going to get coffee and a bagel tomorrow?”

“I was thinking about cereal for breakfast.” He motioned to the boxes in his cart. “I’m not so keen on bagels every morning.”

“Well, I’ll see you if I see you.”

He smiled and waved awkwardly. Before he could walk away, Elsa turned back to him. “Hey, Will, if you’re free on Friday night, you should come over to my place. Annie and I are having a movie night, and you and George would be more than welcome. Emma will probably be there, and we’re trying to get Nora to come.”

“That sounds great,” he answered.

“We’ll see you there then?”

“We’ll be there.”

* * *

“I made plans for Friday night,” Will told George when he got home.

“You asked Elsa out?”

“No, she invited us to a movie night at her place, and I told her we’d be there.”

“You were supposed to ask her out.”

“Well, you should have told me that before I ran into her at the grocery store.”

“I thought you would have figured it out.”

“From what?”

“From what I said about her,” George replied before taking a swig from his beer.

Will Darcy flashed his eyebrows and shook his head. “You told me that you wanted me to take on her account. I thought you wanted me to be her accountant, not her boyfriend.”

“I said that your personalities would mesh well.”

“I thought you meant professionally,” came the quick retort.

“I did,” his friend replied. “Well, sort of; I meant it both personally and professionally. I thought you’d do a good job with her account, but I also thought you’d get along well in other ways.”

Will ran a long, thin hand over his face. “George, can I be honest with you?”

“Go for it.”

“You’re a great guy. You’re good at many things. But you are not good at matchmaking.”

“In my defense, dude, it was my first try.”

“Maybe get a little more practice before you try again,” Will replied. “And meanwhile, I’ll try to get to know Elsa on my own without you trying to help me.”

“Nora thinks it’s a good idea too,” George answered.

“Okay, then Nora can help. You can stay out of it. Go bother your cousin or something.”

“I can’t go bother Alice. She gets mad at me when I come over during bedtime.”

“How old is the baby now?”

George grinned. “She turned one in April.”

“Wow, already, I can’t-wow,” Will shook his head. “She’s really one?”

“Hey, you think that’s crazy? Henry is six.”

“Six?” Will repeated. “Geez, when did that happen?”

George shrugged. “My brother and Izzy got married right out of college and had a baby pretty much right away.”

“I feel old,” Will joked. “Your brother is my age, and he has a six-year-old. What have I been doing with my life?”

“Working.”

“Is it enough?”

“What do you mean?”

“George, I’m thirty. Both of my parents are gone. Ed and Gina are all that I really have as far as family goes anymore. Is my life really worthwhile?”

George sighed. “As your coworker and friend, I think your life is worthwhile. I’m glad that you moved to Highbury. You make my professional life much easier.”

“I’m glad that I can be of some use to you.”

* * *

Wednesday morning, Will had planned to skip going to the Knit Wit for breakfast, but he realized that there was no coffee in George’s house. “How do you not have any coffee here?”

“I don’t need to have coffee here.”

“You have a coffee maker.”

“Yeah, but I only ever make coffee when I have guests for brunch. The rest of the time I either drink tea or get coffee from Elsa.”

Darcy shook his head. “I’m going back to Weston’s tonight to get coffee of my own.”

“Suit yourself. I’ll keep patronizing Elsa and Annie. They know how to make coffee.”

“Well, so do I.”

* * *

Elsa and Annabelle were both in the shop when Will and George arrived. Annabelle was near the door talking to Jamie while Elsa held her usual station behind the till. George immediately stopped to give the taller woman a hug and kiss on the cheek while Will made his way to the counter.

Elsa smiled when she looked up at him. “I thought you were planning to pass on the old KW this morning.”

“I discovered that there is no coffee in that house, so I have to trouble you for a cup of Joe this morning.”

She shook her head. “To my knowledge, George has never made a cup of coffee.”

“How? He drinks it every morning.”

She shrugged. “He’s always had a place to buy it from.”

“Okay, explain this to me. Why does he own a coffeemaker if he never makes coffee?”

“I use it when we have Sunday brunch at his house, but I bring my own beans with me for that.”

Will shook his head. “Please don’t tell me that you bought that coffeemaker.”

“You know what? Let’s just get your coffee ordered and not worry about George’s coffeemaker.”

“Alright, then I’ll have one large coffee and a toasted whole wheat bagel with butter.”

“Four-thirty-five,” she replied promptly.

He handed her a five-dollar bill. “Keep the change.”

“Are you sure that you won’t need it to buy coffee beans this evening?”

He laughed. “Does he have a coffee grinder?”

“Oh, that’s a good question. He doesn’t. I bring mine over for brunch.”

“Where could I get a good grinder in town? Would Weston’s have one?”

She thought for a minute. “They probably won’t. I bought mine in Mansfield when I was in college, and I’m not sure where you could find one in town. Let me think about it, and I’ll get back to you.”

“You want to call me?”

“Stop by after work. I’ll give you fresh scones and an answer.”

* * *

At five-thirty, Will Darcy walked into the Knit Wit. Elsa was standing in front of the counter with a dark-haired toddler on her hip. She spun around when he approached her, twirling the skirt of her green and pink flowered dress. “Hi, Will! How are you? How was your Wednesday?”

He smiled. “I’m well. My Wednesday was good. How was yours? And who is your companion?”

“My day was busy but fine. This,” she said motioning to the girl on her hip. “This is Annie’s standing Wednesday evening date, Josie Kingsleigh.”

“Her standing Wednesday evening date?”

“Josie’s dad teaches until nine and her mom works until seven on Wednesdays. So I pick Josie up from daycare on my way home from Mansfield and bring her here, and then Annie heads over to Oliver and Alice’s with her until Alice gets home from work.”

He nodded. “So I’m guessing that Annie isn’t ready to leave yet?”

Elsa shook her head. “No, she’s finishing something up in the back, so I’m entertaining Miss Josie for a few minutes.”

“Do I need to wait until you hand her off to Annabelle before I get my scone and coffee grinder?”

“The scone is part of what Annie’s working on, but the grinder is on my desk.”

“So I just have to entertain myself until Annie is ready to liberate you?”

She shrugged. “Or you could look at books.”

He smiled. “I do need to check out your nonfiction collection.”

“We try to maintain a good variety there.”

* * *

“Who’s the history expert around here?” Will asked when he emerged from the stacks several minutes later with three books in his hands.

Elsa adjusted Josie on her hip. “Annie minored in history. She also consults with Chris Brandon now and then.”

“You have some really good books there.”

“What struck your fancy?”

He set the pile on the counter. “I’m curious about American history.”

She picked up the books; all three were about the American Revolution-one focused on George Washington while the other two were about events during the war. “I can see that.”

“I started a venture a few years ago to fill in some of the more noticeable gaps in my education.”

“And you include the Revolutionary War in those gaps?”

He laughed. “My US History teacher showed us _The Patriot_ and _Fivel Goes West_.”

“As if it were historically accurate?” she gasped.

He shrugged. “I think so? I’m not entirely sure what she was thinking.”

Still balancing Josie on her hip, Elsa began ringing up Will’s purchases. “Annie had a French teacher in high school who played the banjo.”

“Really?”

She nodded. “He was an odd duck, Monsieur Russell.”

“Did you take French?”

“No, I took Spanish. But Monsieur Russell was my psychology teacher and Emma’s tennis coach.”

“Did he play the banjo in psychology?”

“Sadly, no,” she replied. “He just showed us videos from PBS.”

“PBS,” Josie repeated.

“Does she watch PBS?”

Elsa shrugged. “I don’t know. She likes to repeat things.”

“Fins,” Josie said.

“Case in point, she has trouble with g sometimes.”

Before Will could reply, a blur dressed in purple flew into the shop and collided with the counter. “Grad school sucks. Do you hear me, Elsa? It sucks.” The blur paused and took a deep breath before turning to Will. “Oh, hey Will, I didn’t see you there. How are you?”

He started for a minute before responding as he recognized the petite woman to his left. “Nora! Oh my goodness, I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“I heard you were in town, but I didn’t-“

Will shook his head. “I know you have a lot on your plate right now. I should have called you.”

“Well,” she replied lifting an arm to hug him. “I’m glad to see you now. I’ve missed you.”

He pulled her into a tight hug. “It’s been too long.”

“It really has. How’ve you been?”

He nodded. “Good, all things considered, I’m doing well. You? George has been keeping me posted about your dad.”

“That’s-I don’t know. I’m glad that George has kept you in the loop. It’s really been something.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen your brother in here in the mornings.”

She grinned before looking at the woman on the other side of the counter. “Saint Elsa, Jamie’s second mother, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Elsa shrugged. “You’d figure it out. If it wasn’t me, someone else would do it.”

Nora squeezed her friend’s hand. “All the same, Elsie, I’m glad that I have you.”

“What are friends for?” Elsa replied with a smile.

The question had probably been rhetorical, but Josie felt the need to answer. “Kitties!”

“Kitties?” Will repeated back to her.

“Love kitties…love Elsa kitties,” she replied patting her surrogate aunt’s hair in an awkward but oddly affectionate manner.

“Elsa’s kitties?”

“Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey and Harriet Vane,” Nora said with a smile.

“Dorothy Sayers fan?” Will asked as he handed Elsa his credit card.

She smiled. “Just a bit.”

“You have good taste.”

“You’re also a Sayers fan?”

“My mom loved Sayers, and I’ve developed an appreciation for her as I’ve gotten older.”

“She’s a good escape for overwhelmed grad students,” Elsa told him.

“And Elsa’s cats would make great detectives if she ever let them out of the apartment.”

“That’s why I don’t let them out.”

“Don’t let who out?” Annie asked as she came up behind her business partner.

“Kitties!” Josie answered.

Annie shook her head as she put a tray of scones into the display case. “Elsa’s cats? Those cats are something else. One of them is neurotic. The other one has allergies I didn’t know that cats could have.”

“He’s allergic to chicken,” Nora added as Annie left the room again.

Will looked at Elsa who was innocently making faces at the toddler on her hip. “Your cat is allergic to chicken?”

She pulled her tongue back into her mouth and nodded. “Apparently it’s far more common than you’d ever suspect.”

“But the only thing odder would be if they were allergic to fish?”

“Well, fortunately for Lord Peter, he’s allowed fish.”

Annie snorted as she returned with a brown paper bag. “He only eats cat food, and what he eats is made with fish instead of chicken.” Then she turned to Will. “Are you the intended recipient of our old coffee grinder?”

“It’s yours?”

“We don’t use it at home anymore,” Elsa replied with a shrug. “We have a coffeemaker with a built-in grinder upstairs and our very own coffee shop downstairs. That grinder is all yours.”

He took the bag from Annie’s outstretched hand. “That’s awesome. Thanks so much.”

“Our pleasure,” she replied with a smile. Then she turned to the little girl on Josie’s hip. “Hey, Josie, are you ready to come with me?”

“Eat?”

“Yes, if you come with me,” Annabelle replied with outstretched arms. “We can eat dinner at your house.”

The little girl reached out to Annie and was quickly settled on her hip. She immediately began waving vigorously and calling, “Bye-bye!”

“We’ll see you later,” Annabelle said as she carried Josie into the shop’s backroom.

“She’s darling,” Will remarked as they left.

Elsa smiled. “She’s a real gem. But don’t let that act fool you; she’s a real spitfire when she wants to be.”

“She’s Alice’s daughter, isn’t she?”

“Yerp.”

“I can’t imagine Alice’s daughter not being a spitfire.”

Elsa shook her head. “She’s unmistakably her mother’s daughter. There’s very little of Oliver about her.”

“I don’t really know him.”

“He’s grand. He’s definitely worth knowing.”

* * *

Will didn’t know it then, but Elsa was definitely right. While George and Edward would remain his closest friends, Oliver (and his family) would become an integral part of Will’s life. By the time that Will and Elsa were married, he was close enough to the Kingsleigh family to ask Oliver to be one of his groomsmen and the girls to be their flower girls. Oliver’s second daughter, Charlotte, would be Will and Elsa’s goddaughter. But friendships of that sort are built over time. They grow over Sunday brunches after Mass and whisky Wednesday evenings at Erik’s apartment. It takes dozens of pickup soccer games and boating trips. They don’t come easily or quickly, but they are the most valuable of friendships.

Those were the kinds of friendships that Will found himself building as his days in Highbury turned into weeks and then those weeks turned into months and years. The quirky barista became his wife. The places he had once found quaint became his local haunts. And the odd little town by the lake became his home in a way that no place had been home to him since his parents had passed away.

* * *


End file.
